One of the major driving forces in the modern production of food items is increased efficiency, and often reduced number of unit operations, in the processes involved. These factors have entered into the production of pizza crusts, and other foods, in a number of ways.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,008 discloses an apparatus for producing a restructured food product from small particles of food. In particular embodiments the food particles, and the food product, are obtained from shrimp. The small particles of food are comminuted to form a paste having a fluent consistency. The paste is injected into the cavity of a mold under high pressure. While under pressure, the paste is rapidly heated until it is thoroughly and uniformly cooked. Platens lining the molds are provided with heating elements, so that the food introduced is cooked in place. The cooked product is removed from the mold cavity for packaging and sale.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,528 discloses a baking apparatus that includes cover and pan molds having recesses adapted to be engaged to define a baking chamber. The apparatus cuts dough into pieces to be shaped into dough balls, which are fed into the mold for shaping. There is further a device for feeding the dough into the recesses of the molds and a device for shaping the dough into the desired shape. The cover and pan molds containing the shaped dough are fed as a unit into an oven for baking. Once the baking is complete, the baked confections are removed from the mold pieces.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,115 discloses a pizza crust cooking utensil for use with pizza batter to partially precook a pizza crust for home or commercial use. The utensil includes two cooking plates aligned to form a hollow cooking chamber in which the crust is formed as the batter is cooked. The utensil is adaptable for use in a cooking appliance or a variety of ovens.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,149 discloses a device for forming and par baking a pizza crust, comprising a frame having a base portion to which is attached a lower support platen, and an upper housing portion to which is attached an upper mold. Pizza dough introduced into a pan is placed on the support platen, and a handle lowers the upper mold to compress the dough between the bottom surface of the upper mold and the pizza pan.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,775,208 (Jul. 7, 1998) and 6,010,731 (Jan. 4, 2000) provide a pizza pan system and a method utilizing a pizza pan and a lip to cover the pizza pan in order to compress, shape, conform, and trim the dough about a rim area of the pizza pan and lid.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,013 discloses a baking oven for baking material held in two-piece baking molds, and includes a closing station and a removal station. The closing station includes controlled activating members for closing a two-piece baking mold. The removal station includes controlled activating members for allowing the two-piece baking mold to be unlocked and opened. The invention provides a method of manufacturing products in a series of baking molds to be passed through an oven. In a baking cycle, the mold is opened, filled, closed and locked, guided through an oven, and opened and finally emptied at a removal station. The opened molds are filled at a filling station, where an amount of dough is placed in the mold.
The methods known in the art generally employ measured amounts or pieces of dough (or other food products) introduced into a mold or apparatus. The forming of dough pieces, or the cutting of dough and forming of dough balls, generally requires complicated and costly mechanical devices for implementation in a commercial setting. Furthermore, generally the dough pieces or dough balls must be coated with oil to prevent sticking during the working of the pieces or balls, and while feeding them into the molds. The oil involved in this preventive measure adds to the overall cost of manufacture as well as the total calorie content of the resulting food product. Additionally, pressing the dough pieces or balls between the pieces of the mold yields excess dough or trim that normally is recycled in separate operation steps. In some cases, the excess dough or trim is treated as a waste which must be disposed of properly.
There remains a need in the baking industry, and in the pizza baking industry in particular, for a method of making, and apparatus for preparing, dough pieces having a predetermined shape which eliminates the need to process individual pieces of dough or dough balls prior to forming the dough into the desired shape. There further remains a need for a process, and an apparatus, with a minimal number of unit operations. There remains additionally a need for a method of making dough pieces of predetermined shape that eliminates (or substantially reduces) the need to coat the dough with additional oil, and that eliminates (or substantially reduces) excess dough and trim. The present invention addresses these needs.